Safety air nozzle



June 1, 1943. H. A. YATES 2,320,964

SAFETY AIR NOZZLE Filed Oct. 27, 1942 INVENTOR HARRY PLYATEB.

kw WWW ATTORNEY Patented June 1, 1943 want haired STATES Parent" orrica SAFETY AIR NOZZLE Harry A. Yates, Fairfield, Conn. Application-October 27, 1942, Serial No. 463,548

6 Claims.

them from the vicinity of the cutting tool, so

that they will not interfere with the cutting operation and the progress of work can be better seen. The strong air jet employed often causes the chips or shavings to fly into the air, and

while most factories require workers to wear goggles to prevent eye injury from this cause, the workers very'often neglect to wear them. Con sequently, there have been frequent cases of eye injuries from flying chips or shavings, and this condition is aggravated to a great extent by the impetus force produced by the high pressure air jet upon the chips.

One method heretofore employed in an attempt to prevent this has been to attach a metal shield near the jet end of the nozzle for the purpose of deflecting the flying chips downwardly and prevent them from reaching the eyes. This device is cumbersome, it prevents the workmen from seeing where the air jet is directed, it obscures and interferes with the progress of the work, and it does not eifectually prevent the chips from flying as it allows them to ricochet.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a safety air nozzle which will effectually prevent the flying of chips during their removal by the air jet, and to this end it is particularly proposed to provide a nozzle provided at a substantial distance from its jet end with a downwardly and outwardly divergent annular air outlet slot, by means of whicha substantially conical skirt or umbrella of high pressure air is directed as a protective screen in surrounding spaced relation to the air jet being directed against the chips, the pressure of the protective screen being sufiiciently great so that upwardly flying chips can not penetrate it. Consequently the chips being removed from, the work are confined entirely to the work-table surface of the machine, being prevented from flying upwardly a safety air nozzle in which the annular air slot may be adjusted, both to change the downward angle of the projected screen of air and to vary its intensity, as well as to completely close the annular air slot so that the nozzle may be employed with the air jet alone upon such occasions as may require such use.

With the above and other objects in view, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a pictorial illustrative view showing the safety air nozzle according to the invention 1 in operation in the removal of an accumulation of chips, or the like, from a work-table;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the safety air nozzle, according to the illustrated exemplary embodiment'of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail side elevation of an inner endportion of the nozzle member of the device.

Fig. 5 is an inner end view of the nozzle member.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view, partially in side elevation and partially in section, of the inner end portion of the adjustable sleeve member of the device, adapted to be screwed upon the inner end of the nozzle member.

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are fragmentary sectional views showing the sleeve member in three different positions of adjustment with respect to the nozzle member, whereby the form of the annular slot is varied to vary the angle and intensity of the protective air shield.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing. v I

Referring to the drawing; the nozzlemember it of the device is of elongated tubular form having a relatively small diameter air jet passage Ii therethrough, the inner end of the nozzle member being outwardly tapered, as at E2, and

provided at the inner end of the tapered portion with an annular beveled shoulder 63 diverging downwardly at a predetermined angle, shown in the illustrated form of the invention as substantially 30. The shoulder l3 has extended therefrom a tubular air chamber portion It, having the passage l5 therethrough of substantially larger diameter than the air jet passage II and provided at its end adjacent the inner end of the passage II with a conical wall l8 adapted to direct air from the chamber I! into, the air jet passage under pressure. s Q

The air chamber portion II is provided at its" outer periphery adjacent the shoulder l8 with an annular channeled neck portion II of substantially reduced diameter with respect to the diameter of the outer edge of the shoulder ll, so that a relatively deep continuous annular channel is provided rearwardly of the shoulder l8. Rearwardly of the neck portion ll there is provided a threaded and grooved portion, the outer diameter of which is slightly less than the diameter of the outer edge of the shoulder i8, this portion including a series of threaded circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending rib portions IS, the side walls of which converge to points toward the neck portion I1, and a series of longitudinally extending air channels i8 between the rib portions I8, the bases of which are longitudinally continuous with the cylindrical surface of the neck portion I1, and the side walls of which diverge toward the neck portion H, the converging rearward ends of these air channels extending to an outwardly and forwardly beveled annular shoulder surface 20 at the rearward end of the chamber portion l4, and which is adapted to direct air through the channels l8, as will presently more fully appear. Y

Upon the threaded outer surface of the air chamber portion there is adjustably engaged the sleeve member 2|, this sleeve member being of cylindrical form and provided with internal screw threads 22 for engaging the screw threaded rib portions i8. At its outer end the sleeve member is provided with a reduced diameter cylindrical stem portion 23, provided with external screw threads 24, and connected to the sleeve member by a tapered neck portion 25; The air hose 26 is connected to the end of the stem portion 23 by an internally threaded nipple 21, the air hose being attached at its other end to a suitable source of air supply. It will be understood that any suitabl connection for the air hose: with the device may be provided, these connections being of wellknown form.

At its forward end, the sleeve member 2| is provided with an outwardly divergent annular beveled surface 28, the inner annular edge of which is of smaller diameter than the diameter of the outer edge of the beveled shoulder I8, and the outer annular edge of which is of larger diameter than the outer edge of the shoulder i3. The bevel of the annular surface 28 is at a predetermined angle which converges outwardly with respect to the shoulder I3, this angle being shown in the illustrated form of the invention as substantially45. The sleeve 2| is provided with a set screw 29 for the purpose of fixing its position of adjustment with respect to the nozzle member.

channel of the neck portion II a downwardly diverging substantially conical umbrella or skirt of high pressure protective air, which constitutes ashielding barrier extending from a point substantially above the end of the nozzle toa relatlvely large circular area of the table, the pressure of this protective shield being suificiently great so that any chips flying upwardly from the table, as the main air Jet is played upon them, are prevented from penetrating the air shield and therefore drop to the table surface, thus effectually protecting the worker's person and especially his eyes from flying chips. As the air shield confines the chips down to the table surface they are prevented from spreading laterally as well as flying upwardly.

By adjusting the relative position of the sleeve member 2| upon the nozzle member the width of the annular downwardly divergent slot provided between the beveled surfaces l8 and 28 may be varied, and consequently the pressure of the ejected curtain of air may be decreased or dimin- By bringingthe beveled surface 28 into close overhanging relation with the outer edge of the beveled surface ,|3 the skirt of air will be directed downwardly at an angle mainly determined by the angularity of the surface 28, the arrangement being such that the air passing outwardly over the surface i3 is deflected downwardly at an increased angle by the overhanging surface 28. By adjusting the sleeve upwardly to a point where the plane of the lower edge of the surface 28 is above the plane of the outer edge of the surface I3, the angle of the skirt of air will be mainly determined by the angle of. the surface l8, and as this is a smaller angle than the angle of the surface 28 the skirt is spread to a greater extent. By further adjusting the sleeve upwardly so that the surface 28 is clear of the channel neck'portion II the air will be directed in a substantially lateral direction, as indicated in Fig. 9. In order to close the annular slots, the sleeve 2| is screwed downwardly from the position as shown in Fig. 7, so that the surface28 seats upon the outer edge of the surface [3 forming a tight seal.

I have illustrated and described a preferredand satisfactory embodiment of the invention,

made therein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a safety air nozzle for removing chips or the like from a machine surface or the like, a nozzle member having an air passage terminating at its forward end in an air jet nozzle adapted to direct an air jet upon said machine surface against said chips or the like to move them from said machine surface, and said nozzle member having an additional air passage terminating in an annular sl'ot directed forwardly and outwardly in surrounding spaced relation to said air jet nozzle and adapted to direct a substantially conical protective shield of air upon said machine surface in completely laterally surrounding relation to the air jet directed by said air jet nozzle, whereby said chips or the like moved by said air jet are substantially prevented from penetrating beyond said shield of air at all points between said machine surface and said nozzle member.

'2. In a safety air nozzlev for removing chips or the like from a machine surface or the like, a nozzle member having an air'passage terminating at its forward end in an air jet nozzle adapted to direct an air jet upon said machine surface against said chips or the like to move them from said machine surface, an annular forwardly and outwardly beveled shoulder exteriorly of said nozzle member intermediate its forward and rearward ends, a sleeve member engaged about said nozzle member rearwardly of said shoulder in spaced relation to provide an air passage and having its forward end spaced from said shoulder to provide an annular slot directed forwardly and outwardly in surrounding spaced relation to said air jet nozzle and adapted to directa sub stantially conical protective shield of air upon said machine surface in completely laterally surrounding relation to the air jet directed by said air jet nozzle, whereby said chips or the like moved by said air jet are substantially prevented from penetrating beyond said shield of air at all points between said machine surface and said ing at its forward end in an air jet nozzle adapted to direct an air jet upon said machine surface against said chips or the like to move them from said machine surface, an annular forwardly and outwardly beveled shoulder exteriorly of said nozzle member intermediate its forward and said nozzle member rearwardly of said shoulder in spaced relation to provide an air passage and 7 having its forward end spaced from said shoulder to provide an annular slot-directed forwardly and outwardly in surrounding spaced relation tosaid air jet nozzle and adapted to direct a substantially conical protective shield of air upon said machine surface in completely laterally surrounding relation to the'air jet directed by said air jet nozzle, whereby said chips or the like moved by said air jet are substantially prevented from penetrating beyond said shield of air at all points between said'machine surface and said nozzle member, the rearward endof said sleeve member extending rearwardly of the rearward end of said nozzle member for attachment of an air-hose thereto.

4. In a safety air nozzle for removing chips or the like from a machinesurface or the like, a nozzle member having an air passage terminating at its forward end in an air jet nozzle adapted to direct an air jetupon saidmachine surface against :said chipsor the like to move them from said machine surface, an annular forwardly and outwardly beveled shoulder exteriorly of said nozzle member intermediate its forward and rearward ends, a sleeve member engaged about said nozzle member rearwardly of, said shoulder, a series of spaced longitudinal 55 ribs on one of said members enga'ged'with the other member to provide a series of longitudinal air passages between. said members, said sleeve member having its forward end spaced from said shoulder to'provide anannular slot directed [forwardly and outwardlyv in surrounding spaced relation to said air jet nozzle and adapted to I direct a substantially conical protective, shield;

of air upon said machine surface in completely laterally surrounding relation to the air jet directed by said air jet nozzle, whereby said chips or the like moved by said air jet are substan- 5 tially prevented from penetrating beyond said shield of air at all points between said machine surface and said nozzle-member. p

5. In a safety air nozzle for removing chips or the like from a machine surface or the like, a nozzle member having an air passage terminating at its forward endin an air jet nozzle adapted to direct an air jet upon said machine surface against saidchips or the like to move them from said machine surface, an annular forwardly and outwardly beveled shoulder exteriorly of said nozzle member intermediate its forward and rearward ends, a sleevemember engaged about said nozzle member rearwardly of said shoulder, a series of spaced longitudinal ribs onone of said members engaged with the other member to provide a series of longitudinal air passages between said members, the forward ends of said ribs being rearwardly spaced fromsaid shoulder, said sleeve member having its forward end spaced from said shoulder to provide an annular slot rearward ends,'a sleeveinembe'r engaged about tective shield of air upon said machine surface 4 in completely laterally surrounding relation to said chips or the like moved by said air jet are substantially prevented from penetrating beyond said shield of air at all points between said machine surface andsaid nozzle member.

6. In a safety air nozzle for removing chips or the like from a machinesurface, or the like,

a nozzle member having an air passage terminating at its forward end in an air jet nozzle adapted to direct an air jet upon said machine surface against said chips or the like to move them from said machine surface,'an annular,

forwardly-and outwardly beveled shoulder exteriorly of.said nozzle member intermediate its forward and rearward ends, a sleeve member engaged about said nozzle member rearwardly of said shoulder in spaced relation to provide an air passage and having its forward end spaced from said shoulder to provide an annular ,slot directed-forwardly and outwardly in surroundi spaced relation to said air jet nozzle and adapted --to direct a substantially conical protective shield of air uponsaid machine surface in completely laterally surrounding relation to the air jet directed by said air jet nozzle, whereby said chips or the like moved by said air jet are substantially prevented from penetrating beyond said shield of air at all points between said machine surface and nozzle member, said sleeve member bein adjustable longitudinally with respect to said nozzle member, whereby the width -of said annular slot is adjustable.

HARRY A. YATES.

the air jet directed by said air jet nozzle, whereby 

